Sliding door or flap for bookcases, cabinets, and like furniture.



H. PAGE. SLIDING noon 0R FLAP roR BOOKCASES, CABINETS, AND LIKE FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. !9IH. 1,288,665. Patented Dec.24,1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT PAGE, OF SYDNEY. NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

SLIDING DOOR OR FLAP FOR BOOKCASES, CABINETS, AND LIKE FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Dec. 24, 1918.

Application filed-March 28, 1918. Serial No. 225,298.

Yb all who/11 it may concern Be it known that I, Hnnmnrr PAGE, of the city of Sydney, in the State of New South Vales. Commonwealth of Australia. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sliding Doors or Flaps for Bookcases, Cabinets, and like Furniture. of which the following is the specification. The invention relates to improvements in sliding doors or flaps for bookcases, cabinets and like furniture in which the door or flap, on being opened is swung upwardly or downwardly to the horizontal position and pushed into a suitable recess or space above or below the opening as the case may be. The object of the present invention is to provide a means associated with the door or flap and the body of the case which will allow the door to be manipulated in the usual way but will positively prevent one end of the door getting ahead of the other when the same is being withdrawn from or passed into storage position.

With the above object in view the invention consists essentially in a rack bar carriage secured to the ends of the bookcase, a rotatable cross rod carried by the door, pinions at the ends of the cross rod and operatively mounted on the racks and stop pins adjoining the forward ends of the rack carriages, the parts being arranged and constructed as hereinafter more particularly described and later pointed out in the appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 represents a front view of a bookcase section with the door or flap removed and showing the cross rod and pinions and the rack carriages.

Fig. 2 represents a vertical sectional view centrally through the bookcase section and looking toward one end.

Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view through the upper forward corner of the bookcase.

Fig. 4 represents an end view of one of the upper corners of the door.

Fig. 5 represents an under plan view of the upper corner of the door.

In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

In doors or flaps as at present constructed there is a great tendency for them to jam or wedge in the lateral grooves or guides when being pushed in or withdrawn. this being caused by one end of the door getting ahead or the other when it is being slid in or out.

My invention has for its principal object he overcoming of this difliculty.

Referring now to the drawing 1 represents an ordinary bookcase section presenting the bottom 2, back 3 and ends 4 and 5, the ends being tied together by a front cross strip 6.

7 represents the slidino door or tlap customarily employed for cl osing the front of the bookcase section. This door is of ordinary construction and operates within the section, being adapted in the closed position to butt a ainst a shoulder 8 formed on the bottom piece and in the open position to take a stored horizontal position across the top of the case.

In carrying out my invention I locate adjacent the inner faces of the ends 4 and 5 a pair of rack bars 9 and 10 which are contained in the same horizontal plane and are positioned well toward the top of the case. Each of the rack bars is received within-an angle bar guide 11 and 12 permanently secured to the end piece and it is here to be noted that the forward ends of the vertical flanges of the angle bars are rounded off as shown at 13 and stop in vertically disposed ends 14 contained in the same vertical plane as that containing the shoulder 8.

The forward ends of the vertical flanges form a stop for the upper side of the door when the same is brought to the vertical position. It is further to be noted that the racks project beyond the angle bars a short distance as best shown in Fig. 3.

The door or flap has toward itsrear end a transverse rod 15 which is countersunk in the face of the cross member of the door and is held in position by buttons 16 secured to the door and closing over it.

The ends of the rod are fitted with similar pinions 17 which are permanently secured to it and are received at each end within a recess 18 cut in the end of the door and large enough to allow of the free rotation of the pinions and to admit of the extending ends of the rack bars when the door is in the closed position.

The door is suspended in the case by mounting the pinions on the racks. In this connection it is necessary to exercise care to see that the pinions are carefully lined up on the racks.

Stop pins 19 extend inwardly from the ends of the section to limit the outer travel of the pinions on the racks.

In order to allow of the easy lip-swinging of the door I have grooved, as indicated at 20, the underside of the cross bar 6 and have rounded the upper edge of the door so that when the said door is swung upwardly to the storage position the top e go thereof can swing clear of the cross bar.

Assuming the door closed, one opens it by catching the hand grip 21 and turning the door bodily upwardly, it swinging freely on the cross rod 15 at this time.

When the door has been brought to the horizontal position it is pushed bodily back wardly, tho pinions traveling on the racks and positively eausing the two ends of the door to more in evenly so that there is no jamming.

In the stored position the door rests on the upper edges of the angle bars 11 and 12. To return the door to the closed position it is only necessary to reverse the above oper- Oopies of this patent may be obtained for The combination with a case and a closure door for the same, horizontally disposed racks mounted on the inner faces of the ends of the case, angle bars receiving the racks and presenting a vertical flange extending above the racks, the racks being longer than the angle bars and extending a short distance in front thereof and beyond the inner side of the door when said door is closed, a lengthwise extending rod countersunk in the upper side of the door, buttons holding the rod in position, pinions secured to the ends of the rod, said pinions being operable on the racks and with the rod passing over the upper edges of the flanges and stop pins limiting the outer travel of the pinions on the racks.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HERBERT PAGE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

